“Oct. 1 marks a significant milestone in the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordability Act,” said Mattie. “This is the day open enrollment begins for health care insurance. Many of Connecticut citizens who once had no health care insurance options will now have the ability to purchase insurance through Connecticut’s health care insurance exchange.

“This bill provides many benefits, especially to those uninsured. The jury is still out on the unintended consequences of the bill. For example, will small employers pay the tax rather than purchase insurance? What will this do to the insurance risk pools and cost of insurance? The health care reform train is going down the tracks – we are not quite sure of the bumps in the road.”

To schedule an interview with Mattie, please call John Morgan, associate vice president for public relations, at 203-206-4449.

Quinnipiac University

Quinnipiac is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian institution located 90 minutes north of New York City and two hours from Boston. The university enrolls 6,500 full-time undergraduate and 2,500 graduate students in 58 undergraduate and more than 20 graduate programs of study in its School of Business and Engineering, School of Communications, School of Education, School of Health Sciences, School of Law, Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine, School of Nursing and College of Arts and Sciences. Quinnipiac consistently ranks among the top regional universities in the North in U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges issue. The 2014 issue of U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges named Quinnipiac as the top up-and-coming school with master’s programs in the Northern Region. Quinnipiac also is recognized in Princeton Review’s “The Best 377 Colleges.” The Chronicle of Higher Education has named Quinnipiac among the “Great Colleges to Work For.” For more information, please visit www.quinnipiac.edu. Connect with Quinnipiac on Facebook at www.facebook.com/quinnipiacuniversity and follow Quinnipiac on Twitter @QuinnipiacU.